head to head · open source
strix vs lean-ctx
strix has 70,155 GitHub stars, 7,825 forks, 383 open issues and last shipped today. lean-ctx has 3,890 stars, 353 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped yesterday. strix leads on adoption by 1,703% (70,155 vs 3,890 stars). strix is written in Python under Apache-2.0; lean-ctx is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. strix has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, lean-ctx 9%. strix was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai-security), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| strix | lean-ctx | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 70K | ★ 3.9K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-10-20 | 2026-10-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.8K | ⑂ 353 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick strix if
- You weight community size — 70K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick lean-ctx if
- You want the lean-ctx feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and lean-ctx fits your workflow better
About strix
Strix The open source AI pentesting tool. Autonomous AI hackers that find and fix your app’s vulnerabilities. [!TIP] New! Strix integrates seamlessly with GitHub Actions and CI/CD pipelines. Automatically scan for vulnerabilities on every pull request and block insecure code before it reaches production Get started with no setup required. Strix Overview Strix are autonomous AI penetration testing agents that act just like real hackers they run your code dynamically, find vulnerabilities, and validate them through actual proofs of concept. Built for developers and security teams who need fast, accurate security…
read the full strix overview →
About lean-ctx
██╗ ███████╗ █████╗ ███╗ ██╗ ██████╗████████╗██╗ ██╗ ██║ ██╔════╝██╔══██╗████╗ ██║ ██╔════╝╚══██╔══╝╚██╗██╔╝ ██║ █████╗ ███████║██╔██╗ ██║ ██║ ██║ ╚███╔╝ ██║ ██╔══╝ ██╔══██║██║╚██╗██║ ██║ ██║ ██╔██╗ ███████╗███████╗██║ ██║██║ ╚████║ ╚██████╗ ██║ ██╔╝ ██╗ ╚══════╝╚══════╝╚═╝ ╚═╝╚═╝ ╚═══╝ ╚═════╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ ╚═╝ LeanCTX Context Gateway for AI Systems. Control what your AI can see. LeanCTX sits between AI tools and the information they read. It selects task relevant context, applies supported access and content controls before delivery, and records the context operations and delivery evidence it can observe. Your…
read the full lean-ctx overview →
More in AI & Machine Learning
Related comparisons
More AI Security & Privacy projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the AI Security & Privacy field.
Frequently asked questions
Is strix or lean-ctx more popular?
strix has 70,155 GitHub stars and lean-ctx has 3,890. strix has the larger community by that measure.
Are strix and lean-ctx free?
Both are open source. strix is licensed under Apache-2.0 and lean-ctx under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between strix and lean-ctx?
strix is written in Python and lean-ctx in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, strix or lean-ctx?
Choose strix if you want the larger community (70,155 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose lean-ctx if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.